Page 20 of Wicked Is the Duke
He nodded and urged the stallion into a gallop. She watched, for a second, the beauty of the stallion's movements before coaxing her mare to follow suit. Never had she felt such freedom. No one had allowed her the opportunity to be her own person. Her brother had done his best, knowing his sister was headstrong. Henry seemed to embrace the idea of having a free-thinking wife.
Wife. She wondered when he would ask her. As Robert wanted the wedding to take place before he left for an extended trip on the continent, she imagined Henry would ask while she was visiting Blackmont's sister. They could be married here or at Henry's estate, and her brother could take his business trip to wherever he needed to be.
She caught Blackmont ahead of her, bringing his stallion to a walk. He stopped in order for her to catch up. His dark hair was disheveled, which made her suddenly want to touch it, run her fingers through it.
"We need to take a path up ahead. I wanted to make sure you knew which way we were headed."
"And where are we headed?" she teased.
The corner of his mouth curled up. "Somewhere quite special to me. You'll see, and I'm sure you'll understand why."
"I'm intrigued."
"I wouldn't expect any less from you. Come, we'll walk for a while."
"How much further until we reach your mysterious destination?"
"Not far, I promise. Do you think you can handle it?"
Was he challenging her? Yes, he was. "Of course I can," she replied demurely. "By the way, you never mentioned what her name was."
He gave her a curious look. "Who?"
"The mare, silly. What is her name?"
"Molly. Her name is Molly."
She stroked the mare’s neck. "It suits her, and again, thank you, Henry."
"I wanted you to be comfortable riding here. I knew the moment I saw her she would be perfect for you."
"Robert told me you have been breeding a special line of horses."
He nodded. "Actually, my father started it. Horses and their bloodlines have always fascinated me."
"Is he a result of your bloodlines?" she asked, indicating his stallion.
"Yes, he is."
“Well, he’s magnificent.”
“Thank you. I think so.”
"Did you say your cook was sending us a picnic basket?"
"Yes." He smiled at her and gathered the stallion's reins. "If you're ready, we're not far."
Anna dug her heels into the mare's side, urging the animal on, as she left Henry in a cloud of dust. She didn't look back but could hear Henry's stallion as he caught up to her, keeping his distance. He was having fun with her, knowing her mare could never best his black beast.
Henry knew, as he was serious about finding a wife, he could not carry on as he once had. Then he’d met Anna, and he knew he had found his duchess. She seemed to be comfortable in most every setting presented to her. Whether it be in the ballrooms of London or riding a horse without a care in the world, Anna embraced it all. She'd come a long way from the shy, quiet young woman others had described to him. Truly she was at ease with him. They suited better than most of their peers.
He looked ahead and saw that she was walking the mare, glancing back at him every few seconds. Realizing she was unsure where to go, he hurried to meet up alongside her mare.
"I'm sorry, I was unsure which way to go."
"We go in this direction," he replied, pointing to the path on the right fork. "We're almost there."
"Tell me about this place."
